Flour-sifter.



F. COSS.

FLOUR SIFTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 14. 1911.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

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FRANK GOSS, OF GREENCASTLE, INDIANA.

FLOUR-SIFTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

Application filed May 14, 1917. Serial No. 168,405.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, FRANK Coss a citizen of the United States, residing at Greencastle, in the county of Putnam and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Flour-Sifter, of which the following is a specification. g

It is the object of my invention to provide a flour sifter which at once is sanitary and easy to clean, prevents packing, sifts with greater rapiditythan the usual sifter, and is simple and easy to manufacture.

The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention. Figure 1 is a vertical central section through the sifter and the lower part of the associated flour bin, embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan of the sifter operating mechanism and easing, with the rotatable dome-shaped sifter screen removed; and Fig. 3 is a bottom view of such rotatable dome-shaped sifter screen.

The flour bin usually has a funnel-shaped lower portion 10, terminating .in a neck 11, and removably mounted upon this neck by any suitable fastening 12 is the upper cylindrical portion of the sifter casing 13, below which is a funnel-shaped portion 14 the parts 13 and 14 at their junction being provided with an internal annular shoulder 15. Upon this shoulder rests the edge of a domeshaped sifter screen 16, usually a wire screen for rigidity, which screen is provided at the edge which rests upon the shoulder 15 with a circular strengthening wire 17 the two opposite points of which are connected by a diametrical bridge 18, which is of sheet metal. and at its middle portion is of an inverted U-shape in cross section. The top of this inverted U-shaped bridge is provided at the center with a hole 19, which is in the axis of the dome 16, and this holereceives the upper end of a shaft 20 mounted in a suitable framework 21 supported within the funnel 1 1. Near its upper end the shaft 20 is bent to form a crank arm 22, which is received into the inverted U-shaped bridge 18 so as to form a driving connection between the shaft and the bridge. The shaft 20 is provided with a suitable gear 23 which meshes with a gear 24 on an operating crank 25, the gears 23 and 24 preferably being mounted within the frame work 21, which is preferably bent into such shape as to form a covering for such gears to protect them from the sifted flour.

By operating the crank 25, the dome 18 is turned about its vertical axis by reason of the driving connection between the crank 22 and bridge 18. This eflectively sifts the flour which is fed downward from the bin above. I have found that this sifting takes place very rapidly with substantially no clogging when the screen is dome-shaped as shown, sifting much more rapidly and with much less clogging than if the screen has any other shape, such as being flat or concave upward. In addition, this sifting is practically without wear on the screen, as the only friction of the screen is with the flour itself. The screen is balanced by the cooperation of the wire 17 at its edge and the shoulder 15, upon which such wire slides. If desired, in order further to prevent clogging, a curved bridge wire 26 supported in the neck 11 may be arranged above the rotating screen 16, so that it just clears the screen as the latter rotates. This makes a substantially self-cleaning construction. However, for additional cleaning such as is always desirable, it is only necessary to release the fastenings 12 and remove the sifter and its casing 13 from the neck 11, whereupon the dome-shaped sifter screen may be readily lifted out, the driving connection between the shaft 20 and the bridge 18 permitting such separation. If necessary for any reason, as by some breakage of the screen, a new screen may be substituted by merely putting it in place on the upper end of the shaft 20. When this is done the screen positions itself.

I claim as my invention:

1. A flour sifter, comprising a casing having an annular shoulder, a dome-shaped screen removably mounted within said casing so that its edge cooperates with said shoulder, a vertical shaft mounted in said casing below said screen and having a driving connection therewith for producing rotation of the screen when the shaft is rotated, and means for rotating said shaft.

2. A flour sifter, comprising a casing having an annular shoulder, a dome-shaped screen removably mounted within said casing so that its edge cooperates with said shoulder, a vertical shaft mounted in said casing below said screen and having a driving connection therewith for producing rotation of the screen when the shaft is rotated, and means for rotating said shaft,

I 3 l L B said driving connect on being releasable by merely lifting the screen from said shoulder and the upper end of said shaft.

3. A flour Sifter, coinpnising-a casing, an upwardly convex dome-shaped screen removably mounted for rotation within, said casing, a vertical shaft below said screen. andg having a dniving, connection therewith, and means for rotating saidshaft to produce rotation of said screen.

4 A flour siftenco nprising a casing, an upwardly convex dome-shaped screen ren ovab lj mounted for rotation within said,-

casing, 'a, vertical shaft below said. screen and having a driving connection therewith,

and means for. rotating said shaft, to produce rotation of said screen, said driving conneetion being formed by a dia1netrical= bridge member connecting opposite points on the edgeofsaid screen below the sbreen inovably mounted for rotation within said casing, a vertical shaft below said screen and having a drivin connection therewith, a hori z ontaloperatnig shaft providedfwithan operating crank, and gearing connecting said horizontal and vertical shafts;

In witness whereof, I have hereunto, set;

my hand at Indianapolis Indiana, this 9th. day of May, A. D. one thousand ninehundred and seventeen.

FRANK ooss;

flopletotthla patenta a be. obtained for five cents each, by midremsilng the-Commissioner of raterm.

Wilmington, D. 0. 

